


In the Beginning

by Psistriker



Series: Chronoverse [1]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 15:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18577300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psistriker/pseuds/Psistriker
Summary: Clint Barton was sent to kill her but he made a different call.  No, wait, wrong story.  Clint Barton was assigned to eliminate the mutant terrorist known as Chronos, but something about it didn't feel right.  After meeting her, he decided once again to buck orders and trust this gut.  It had worked for him in the past, but this time could be different.  Once he sees how far down the rabbit hole this decision is going to take him, he it may just end up costing him his own life.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Clint Barton, code name Hawkeye, stood on the rooftop watching the battle below. His instincts were screaming at him to join in, to help, but his orders were clear - don't engage, just get the target and get out.

Still, the whole thing felt wrong. He knew the mutant heroes that made up the X-Men, had even worked with some of them. He sincerely doubted that this girl was as bad as the reports had made her out to be.

Everything about this mission felt off. No back up, strict radio silence, all contact was to be done by email. Hell, he couldn't even bitch about getting the orders in the first place. And then he'd seen her.

Chronos, mutant mistress of time. One of the most powerful and feared beings on the planet. Yeah, right. She looked like a goth biker/hipster love child. He was still trying to figure out how she kept her old school black fedora on.

She was just a kid! Intel had her pegged as early twenties, but without her true identity it was hard to be more specific. But take away the hat and long black coat and she looked like any other suburban twenty-something. She should have been on a college campus, not fighting off a group of random minions.

Her fighting style certainly didn't fit with the monster label she'd been given either. She wielded her metal staff with precision, taking her opponents out with the least amount of damage. She seemed to have little concern for her own safety, drawing fire from her teammates so they could get into better positions or get civilians out of the way.

The final straw came when he saw a small child bolt from its hiding place in fear. Clint was just about to act when Chronos appeared out of nowhere. She swept in, grabbed the boy, and flew him straight to his terrified mother. She then knelt down in front of the child, obviously trying to comfort him.

Clint was ready with his bow, and now he had the perfect shot. Right through the back of the head and that was that. But he couldn't do it. His instincts were screaming at him, causing him to hesitate. He thought of Natasha and the call he’d made years ago. Besides, would a radical mutant terrorist really take the time to comfort a crying human child? Or go out of her way to keep civilian casualties to a minimum? Nothing he had seen matched what he'd been told. There was no way this girl was a threat to anyone!

Chronos stood up and looked around, confused. As soon as she spotted Clint, she launched herself into the air and went right after him.

"What the hell, dude?!" Chronos snapped. "You were gonna shoot me in front of a kid? With my back turned?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Clint was trying to back up so he could lose the arrow safely, but she pressed forward, following him. She seemed to get angrier with every step, letting loose a stream of inventive threats and curses. Trapped, he had no choice but to fire.

Moving faster than he could follow, Chronos deftly snatched the arrow in mid-flight before snapping it in half. "Next time you better finish the job or I will destroy you." She threw the pieces at him before taking off.

Clint lowered his bow, not sure how to react. Part of him was angry, the other part wanted to piss his pants and run away in terror. He settled on running away in anger.

It wasn't the way she'd gone off on him that disturbed him. He worked with Nick Fury, getting cussed out was part of his daily routine. No, he was angry for having been put in that position in the first place. He was angry that he'd let himself be spotted. And he was a little freaked out by how easily she'd caught his arrow. That normally only happened when he wanted it to. She did know how to work a tirade though.

He still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been right about her. She'd only become aggressive when threatened. She'd been more upset about the idea of the little boy witnessing her getting shot than anything else. She hadn’t even laid a finger on him. He’d been there to kill her but she’d only threatened him. Even the trick with his arrow felt more like she was showing off than anything else. He just couldn't put into words why he felt that way about her.

Clint slipped off to the alley where he'd stashed his gear and changed back into his street clothes. He decided not to check in until he could explain his actions. If they wanted to chew him out for screwing up so badly, then they could come to him.

Instead he used the confusion of from the battle to help him. He disappeared into the city, just another warm body in a sea of millions.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Clint went off the grid for as long as he could, roaming aimlessly around the city. He thought about checking in with SHIELD once or twice, but his anger stopped him. He was torn between waiting until he'd calmed down enough to keep his mouth from getting him into more trouble and making them come to him as punishment for giving him the orders. He knew he had to return home eventually. He was running out of places to hide and he had promised to pick up his dog from his neighbor's before she had to put her kids to bed. He stopped by a local bodega to pick up some stuff for dinner and headed to his apartment. He had to juggle his groceries, his gear bag, and his keys before finally getting the door open.

"Frickin' took you long enough, Birdman."

Only his near superhuman reflexes kept Clint from dropping everything. "Mind telling me how you got in here?" he asked, frozen in the doorway.

He couldn't see her face, but the trademark black fedora and bad attitude gave his visitor away. "Please, I was trained by a former member of the New Orleans Thieves Guild. I've got skills," Chronos answered.

Clint glared at her. "And my security system was designed by Tony Stark," he replied. "Wanna try that one again?"

"Fine, I waited in the hallway until you opened the door and then used my powers to sneak past you," Chronos sighed. "Geez, at least let me keep a little mystery."

"Sorry, I tend to have very little patience for people who threaten to destroy me," Clint replied sarcastically.

"Says the guy who threatened to turn me into a Skyrim meme," Chronos shot back.

"A what?" Clint asked, confused. Then he shook his head. "Never mind, I don't wanna know. Look, kid, if you're not here to make good on your threats, do you mind if I put these away? They're getting heavy."

Chronos waved her hand towards the kitchen. "Knock yourself out, it's your place."

Clint dropped his gear bag by the door before going into the kitchen. His kitchen was small but open with nothing but a breakfast bar and some bar stools separating it from his living room. He busied himself putting away the bags of coffee and a couple of frozen dinners while watching her out of the corner of his eye, sizing her up.

Now that she wasn't screaming at him, it was easier to get a read on her. He had her at about five foot six and way too skinny for her own good. Her brown hair just brushed her shoulders and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of metal-rimmed glasses. With her oval face and pale white skin, she practically screamed girl next door.

The wardrobe gave a different image though. The wear pattern on the bottom of her motorcycle boots proved they weren't just for show. So when he paired that with her fingerless leather gloves, he figured she must ride. She was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt covered in an internet reference he didn't get, and her long black duster. Right now she seemed more bored teenager trying to hard to rebel than the heartless killing machine she was supposed to be.

While he watched, she fidgeted. She tapped her foot in the air, chewed on her bottom lip, shoved her glasses up her nose, picked at a spot on her coat. He could tell she was nervous about something and trying to hide it. It made her seem even younger and gave him a little more confidence.

He knew the game she was playing, of course. It was a tactic he'd used himself many times - throw the mark off, put them immediately on the defensive so you're the one in control from the beginning. Sneaking into his place, her body language, even putting her feet up on his furniture was all part of the act. It was almost cute.

Figuring he had stalled long enough, Clint sat down in a chair across from her. "So why are you here?" he asked. "And get your feet off my coffee table."

Chronos stuck her tongue out at him, but moved her feet. "I'm here because you've presented me with quite the puzzle."

"If you want to know why I was on that rooftop," Clint started.

"Someone higher up the food chain than you wanted me dead," Chronos interrupted. "I know who you are, Barton. To be honest, I'm almost flattered they sent you. I also know if you'd gone rogue, I'd be mutant shish kebab and the Avengers would be pounding down your door. No, it's . . . you just feel. . . wrong."

"Wrong? Geez, thanks," Clint replied, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"I don't mean it like that," Chronos said, rolling her eyes again. "I know when time's being messed with because I feel it, physically. I can also read people's temporal signatures like some people read auras. I felt you on the rooftop before I saw you. You presented as a literal pain in my ass. The pain got stronger when I got close but it went away after I took off. Thing is, I know time's moving in the right direction. So why do you read as a disruption?"

Clint raised an eyebrow, a bit impressed. She'd just given him more information on her powers than SHIELD had in its entire database. Since she'd been so open with him, he felt like he should return the favor. "Probably because I'm supposed to be dead," he answered. He decided to ignore the literal pain in her ass remark. He'd been called worse after all.

"What?"

Clint nodded. "I died years ago, got blown to bits and everything," he explained. "I came back when Scarlet Witch lost it and rebuilt the world, twice." He joked about it, but he had to fight back the memories. One of his explosive arrows had been hit by a stray laser blast and he'd been unable to get it out of his quiver or undo the straps to get it off in time. At least he'd managed to take an enemy vessel with him.

Chronos shook her head. "And people wonder why I'm losing my mind," she groaned.

Clint leaned back in his chair, eyeing her thoughtfully. "So what do you do now?"

Chronos shrugged. "Dunno," she admitted. "Normally I trace the disruption back to the source and try to undo it. But I don't really wanna undo you."

"Even after I tried to turn you into mutant shish kebab?"

Chrono's answering grin was full of teasing mischief. "Nah, I'm already over that," she laughed. "Besides, I'm crazy, not stupid. If I honestly thought you wanted me dead, I wouldn't be anywhere near here."

Clint couldn't help but grin back. He still couldn't put it into words, but there was just something about her he liked. "You realize I'm gonna catch hell for this," he pointed out. "First I disobeyed orders, now I let you in my apartment."

"You didn't let me in anywhere," Chronos reminded him. "And you didn't disobey orders. I got in your face and you shot me. I just cheated."

"I knew it!" Clint exclaimed. "I knew there was no way you could have caught that arrow, not at that range."

"Just one of my many party tricks," Chronos agreed. "I, on the other hand, will 'catch hell'. One-eye doesn't like it when I slip my leash."

Clint bit back a laugh at her nickname for Cyclops, the X-Men's field leader. "Summers still has a stick up his butt, huh?" Clint asked. 

"And then some," Chronos answered. "You'd think boning Emma Frost since she switched to the Light Side would loosen him up. But apparently even she can't unclench him."

"Yeah, I know a guy like that," Clint replied. "Didn't all you X-types move out west though? I thought you had your own little sovereign nation going."

"Yeah, Utopia," Chronos snorted, clearly giving away how she felt about that. "Hank McCoy is giving some big speech at NYU and brought some of us along for moral support. One-eye made me come to, and I quote, 'keep you out of trouble, young lady'. Frickin' asshat."

"You guys gonna be in town for long?"

Chronos looked at him suspiciously. "Why? You planning on taking another pot shot at me?"

Clint shook his head. "I don't plan on it, no," he answered. "You just might want to keep a low profile for awhile though. I'm going to try and convince my superiors you're not a threat, but that doesn't mean they won't send someone else in the meantime."

"But I am a threat," Chronos replied matter of factly. "Just not for the reasons they think I am." She stood up and headed towards the door. "Maybe I'll see you around, Birdman."

Clint watched her leave, even more confused than he'd been before. "Count on it, kid."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next morning, Clint decided he needed a little more information if he was going to make things work. Despite his history, he still tended to trust his instincts when it came to people. After all, he'd been right about Kate and Natasha.

So after finding out where the X-Men where staying, he went to the neighborhood intending to do a little recon. And if he happened to run into his target, so much the better.

She wasn't hard to spot. She may look completely normal compared to some of her teammates, but the fedora and duster did kind of make her stick out.

 

Chronos was sitting at a table near the front window at a local coffee shop, typing away on her laptop. She was staring so intently at that the screen that he thought she hadn't noticed him until she spoke. "You got me in trouble."

"What did I do?" Clint asked, projecting innocence.

"I did more than catch hell when I got back," Chronos answered, still typing. "One-eye had an out and out shit fit when he realized where I'd been. He actually threatened to lock me in my room! Then he forbid me from ever talking to you again."

"And what's your say in all of this?"

Chronos kicked the chair across from her, sliding it towards him. "One-eye can bite my shiny metal ass."

"Atta girl," Clint laughed as he sat down. "So you tweetin' or bloggin' or face-spacing?"

Chronos looked up from her laptop and glared at him. "I'm writing code for a potential video game idea I had," she answered. "It's slow going because I'm doing everything myself, but it's my way of trying to hold on to some semblance of sanity and normalcy."

"Sorry," Clint replied sheepishly.

Chronos pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "No, I'm sorry," she said. "Cyclops has me all worked up and I've been fighting a downswing all day. Coding usually calms me down but my brain's just not cooperating." She shut down her computer and closed the lid. "Before the mutant powers/brain damage/insanity thing I wanted to be the female Bill Gates. Only with software that, you know, actually works."

Clint furrowed his brow in thought. "You know, you keep saying this about you being crazy or insane," he pointed out. "Why is that?"

"You mean they didn't tell you?" Chronos asked, surprised. "Next time you go after a target you might want to consider reading their psych profile. I'm bipolar."

"And?" Clint replied, still confused. "It's an illness, you can treat it."

"If I was human I could, yeah," Chronos agreed. "But I have a healing factor, like Wolverine. My system flushes out any and all chemicals and toxins before they can have any affect. Good for poisons, not so good for medications. Not to mention the constant time energy coursing through my gray matter causes brain damage."

Clint picked off a bite of the muffin sitting in front of Chronos and popped it in to his mouth. "Oh, like Donna Noble," he said as he chewed.

Chronos's face lit up. "You know who Donna Noble is?"

Clint nodded. "I've caught a few episodes of new Who from time to time," he admitted. "Besides, Sarah Jane was hot."

"And you're a Sarah Jane man?" Chronos laughed. "Why Birdman, you're just full of surprises."

"I am a man of many mysteries," Clint replied stealing another bite of her muffin. "So time energy is melting your brain and you have an illness. Is that why somebody wants you dead?"

Chronos leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. "Among other things," she said. "I'm a mutant, remember? Half the planet wants me dead just because I exist."

Clint let out a long suffering sigh. "Look, kid, I'm trying to help you out here," he said.

Chronos snorted. "Why do you even care?" she asked, more than a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. "You're a flatscan, as human as they come. So what? You're taking pity on the poor crazy mutant freak?"

Clint kicked her chair, forcing her to look at him. "No, I'm trying to keep a fellow smart ass in one piece," he replied. "There's not enough of us in the hero game."

That earned him a slight smile. "Well, I'll give you that," Chronos agreed. "But quit calling me kid."

"Fine, Timex," Clint countered.

"Timex?"

Clint shrugged. "Because you heal."

Chronos looked at him in confusion, racking her brain for the reference. "Oh, 'takes a licking, keeps on ticking'," she snickered, pulling out the old watch slogan. "I like it."

Clint ran an hand through his short blond hair. Now that he knew about her illness, the severity of her reactions made sense. Besides, if he could handle Banner he could handle her. "I know you have no reason to trust me, Chronos, but I really do want to help you," he said as he grabbed another bite of muffin.

Chronos finally pushed the plate towards him. "I do trust you," she admitted.

"You have a funny way of showing it," Clint replied.

"I give everybody attitude," Chronos snorted.

"Not that," Clint shot back. "I'm talking about the fact that you haven't looked me in the eyes once since we met."

Chronos started to reply but was cut off by an ear piercing shriek. She grabbed Clint's hand, yelling "Freeze!" as she did.

Clint looked around them in shock. Everything but the two of them was just stopped, completely frozen. It wasn't until he looked at the clock on the building across the street that he realized what she had done. "You stopped time!"

"Well yeah, it's kinda my thing," Chronos replied.

"But why am I still moving?" Clint asked.

Chronos rolled her eyes. "I'm immune to my own powers and I can pass that immunity along through touch," she explained. "Now are we going to go investigate that noise or do you want to stand around and argue temporal physics with me?"

That snapped him out of it. They were the only two heroes in the area. If something big was going down it was up to them to take care of it. "Fine, but we're continuing this conversation as soon as the day is saved."

Chronos shoved her laptop in to a bag at her feet. She picked it up as they went outside, but she dropped it as she looked up. "Holy shit!"

Clint followed her gaze and blanched. The sky was filled with a swarm of black, robotic drones. "The noise must have come from them," he said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Chronos snarked. "Tell me you're packing."

Clint swallowed hard. "Unfortunately, no."

"What?!"

"Well, it's my day off and I was just coming to find you," Clint explained. "I wasn't planning on fighting and I didn't want to upset you by showing up armed."

Chronos shook her head. "Sweet but stupid," she sighed.

"What's the range on your powers?" Clint asked. "Maybe we could call for back up?"

Chronos shrugged. "Not sure, at least the entire city," she answered. Suddenly she doubled over, crying out in pain.

"Timex, are you ok?" Clint asked, concerned.

"Something's wrong," Chronos hissed, her teeth clenched. "Something. . . something's trying to punch through."

Clint looked back at the drones, a feeling of dread washing over him. "Do they look closer to you?"

Now it was Chronos's turn to blanche. "They're fighting my powers," she said. "How? How is that even possible?"

Clint didn't like the hint of fear in her voice. "How long you do think you can hold them?"

"Not long enough," Chronos took a deep breath and let it out slowly, straightening up. "C'mon, I've got an idea." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the street.

They made their way through the time stopped street. It was eerie - there was no sound, no movement. It was like walking through a three dimensional photograph and Clint didn't like it all.

Chronos finally stopped when they reached a sporting goods store a few blocks away. She slipped them past a customer that had been standing in the open door before making her way to one of the registers. "Go find what you need," she said as she started typing.

"Chronos, I'm not going to rob this place," Clint protested.

"We're not robbing it," Chronos shot back. "Not if I can hack the register and get into Stark's bank accounts at any rate."

"Chronos!" Clint admonished.

"Oh would you lighten up!" Chronos groaned, finally looking up from the register. "It's an emergency situation. I've hacked Stark before just to mess with him but this is the first time I've ever taken anything. And I know SHIELD will reimburse him from their emergency agent funds, I can just get into Rust Boy's accounts quicker."

"Fine, but if Tony gives me any grief, I'm sending him after you," Clint replied. He started to walk away but turned back when a though occurred to him. "Wait a minute, how do you know about SHIELD's emergency fund? And how can you get into the computers if they're frozen in time too?"

"Because Stark's computers aren't the only ones I've poked around in and I have no idea," Chronos admitted. "I think it's got something to do with my immunity to paradox but I'm not sure. Every time I start experimenting with my powers I end up having a meltdown so I finally just quit. Now will you please hurry up? The pain's getting worse and I'm not sure how much longer everything'll hold."

"Fine, but I'm adding your criminal tendencies to the list of things were discussing when this is over," Clint replied.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Chronos lowered her her head, but not before he caught the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Clint chuckled to himself as he headed to the back of the store. Once, he wouldn't have thought twice about robbing a place like this. Now he was not only appalled at the idea but he was practically lecturing her on the ethics of hacking. It was definite proof of how far he'd come.

He found the archery section at the back of the store. It wasn't quite up to his usual standards, but it would do. He grabbed everything he would need, as well as a set of walkie talkies from the camping section. He also stopped and grabbed some batteries before making his way back to the registers.

Chronos had finished breaking into the register and tied it into one of Tony Stark's accounts. Clint did feel a little better when he realized it was the account Tony had set up specifically for the Avengers to use to help replace their gear. She also left a note telling the people who ran the store so they'd know what was going on. Satisfied everything was going to be paid for, he led the way outside.

Clint looked at the drones again, grimacing when he saw the drones were indeed closer. "Tell me you're packing."

Chronos reached into her pocket and pulled out a long metal tube. "I'm always packing." She ran her thumb along the side and tube extended into the six foot long quarterstaff she'd been using the day before.

Clint took his sunglasses out of his pocket and slipped them on. "Nice," he remarked. "Adamantium?"

"Yep," Chronos answered. "I kept breaking everything else."

Clint started stuffing arrows into the quiver he'd grabbed as well as his belt and everywhere else he could think of. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking," he said. "As soon as you release them, I want you to head up for batting practice." Then he pointed at a group of police officers across the street. "I'm going to get them started on crowd control before I head up to a roof for target practice myself."

Chronos had opened the walkie talkies and put the batteries in while he spoke. She handed one to him and clipped the other to her coat. “Got it.” She started to take off but Clint stopped her.

“Timex, be careful,” he cautioned.

The look that crossed her face was unreadable. “Uh, yeah. Back at ya,” Chronos replied. Then she flew off into position.

Once they were both ready, Chronos grasped her staff and gave the command. “Unfreeze!”

When he would talk about this later, Clint would always remark on what an incredible team they made. It shouldn’t have worked - a human and a mutant with purely defensive powers, armed with nothing more than sticks and string - but together they turned into a near unstoppable force.

Since the drones were robotic, Chronos didn’t have to hold back. So she used her considerable strength and her staff’s reach to her advantage.

This allowed Clint to be more precise with his targets. Since he had a limited amount of ammo and none of his trick arrows, he had been worried about how he was going to pull this off. But with Chronos’s “smash all the things” style, he was able to concentrate on picking off the few stragglers that managed to sneak past her.

They used the walkie talkies as well, warning each other and trading sarcastic remarks. Once they had destroyed all the drones, Clint told her where to meet him and before heading down from his perch.

He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and called in for a clean up team. Then he snuck out the back door, wanting to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

Chronos was waiting for him in the alley, turning a piece of one of the drones over in her hands. “Mind if I take this?” she asked. “I wanna see if I can figure out how it managed to fight my powers.”“Go right ahead,” Clint replied. “I told the clean up team to try and save as many pieces as possible for the same reason. Maybe between you and Stark, we can figure something out.” He took off his glasses and slipped them back in his pocket. “Nice job out there by the way.”Chronos grinned. “Thanks,” she said. “You were pretty awesome too. Not to mention you snark level is almost as epic as mine.”“I’ll take that as high praise,” Clint laughed. “You know, all this could have been an elaborate ruse for me to try and kill you again.”Chronos shook her head. “Nah, you’re not that kind of guy,” she said. “Besides, I said I trust you and I don’t trust easily.”

“Why me?” Clint asked, curious.

“Sorry, Birdman, but that’s my secret,” Chronos answered.

“Then prove it,” Clint countered, tapping her shoulder with his bow. “We still haven’t settled the eye contact thing.”

“I am looking you in the eyes,” Chronos replied.

“No, you’re not,” Clint said. “I used to have a hearing problem and I still have a bad habit of reading lips. So I notice where people are looking when they talk to me. You either look at everything but me or you look a place right above or right below my eyes.”“Fine, you got me,” Chronos sighed. “But believe me, you do NOT want to see what’s going on in here. I only look myself in the eyes in the mirror when I feel like causing more psychological trauma.”

Clint leaned his bow against the wall before getting closer to her. “So what, you’ve got bug eyes or something?” he asked. “Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

Chronos took a step back. “No you can’t, no one can. Trust me, if the eyes really are the window to the soul, then I am royally fucked.”

“Chronos, right now I am your only ally,” Clint pointed out. “The evidence is stacked against you, but I think you’re wrong, that you are one of the good guys. I want to trust you, to help you, but I need to know what I’m up against. And I need to know what you’re hiding.” He reached out and grabbed her chin, tilting her face up so she could finally see her eyes.

She was stronger than him. She could have pushed him away, forced her head back down without a thought. Instead she stood there, silent and shaking.

As blue eyes met brown, Clint had to fight the urge to flinch. Her dark eyes burned with insanity, the true depths of her madness revealed. It shook him to his core, but he refused to look away.

Then he saw it. Behind the insanity lay a scared, lonely little girl and suddenly it all made sense. The clothes, the attitude, the mouth - it was all armor. And the thing she seemed to be scared of the most was herself.

“Aw kid,” he sighed.

“Do you see now?” Chronos hissed, clenching her jaw. “I’m losing my mind, Clint. It’s only a matter of time before I snap. If I’m lucky, I’ll just go catatonic again, but I’m not that lucky. I’m not dangerous because I can control time. I’m dangerous because when I lose it, there may be no way to stop me.

“I fight every damn day and it’s killing me. I stay with the X-Men because at least they get it. I fight for a world that hates me in a desperate attempt to make up for the damage I will cause. I don’t want to be the crazy freak, so I try to be a hero. But no one believes that I am.”

Seeing that she was fighting back tears, Clint grabbed her in an impulsive hug. “Chronos, why do you think I’m fighting so hard to keep you alive?” he asked, holding her tightly. “I’ve seen you fight, how you put everybody else first. Even today, your first instinct was to find out what was going on and stop it. You and me, we may not have the flash but we have the heart. I believe you, and anybody who says you aren’t a hero is an ass.” He let her go, stepping back. “You gonna be okay?”

Chronos took a deep breath, pulling herself together. “I kind of have to be,” she said. “But I tell you this, I’m kind of impressed. Not even Hairball can hold my gaze for that long.”

“Hairball?”

“Wolverine,” Chronos explained.

“Yeah, well, Logan’s a wuss,” Clint replied.

Chronos gave him that mischief making grin again. “I’m gonna tell him you said that.”

“Good, and tell him he owes me a beer,” Clint replied, matching her grin. He held out his hand as a thought occurred to him. “Give me your phone.”

“My what?”

“Your cell phone,” Clint answered. “Tech girl like you has to have a cell that could run the space station so hand it over.”

Rolling her eyes again, Chronos pulled her smart phone out of her pocket and gave it to him.

Once Clint figured out how to unlock it and find her contacts, he programmed in his number. “If you need anything, even just someone to trade insults with, call me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Chronos agreed as she put her phone away. “Next time I need someone to insult, you will definitely be the first person I call.”

“Smart ass.” He grabbed his bow and headed back out into the street.

“Because you hesitated.”

Clint stopped and turned back to her. “What?”

Chronos was looking down at her feet, her face scrunched up. “I knew about the email, the order against me and the evidence they sent,” she said. “I’ve been hacking SHIELD for ages. Anything that comes up with my name on it, I know about it. And everything they sent you, it all happened. Oh they left out a few details, made me look like the villain, but it’s all true.”

She looked up at the sky and let out a bitter laugh. “And you had me dead to rights,” she continued. “One arrow to the back of the head and it would have been all over. But you hesitated, you didn’t take the shot.” She finally turned to face him and smiled. “You only fired when I got in your face and made you. Hell, I would have fired at me then. So I knew I could trust you. I just hope you don’t end up regretting it.”

“Oh I already regret it,” Clint said as he walked back towards her, “because I can tell you are trouble. Luckily, you’re my kind of trouble.”

Chronos burst out laughing. “You’re all right, Birdman.”

“Back at ya, Timex.” Clint saluted her with his bow before finally heading off.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Clint woke up the next morning to the sound of his text alert. He didn’t recognize the number, so he hit the button to bring the message up.

*BMan - so much for keeping a low profile, TX. PS - turn on the news, doofus!*

He padded down to the living room and turned on the TV. “Oh shit.”

The top story of the morning was yesterday’s drone attack. And there was video of two figures - identified as the Avengers member Hawkeye and the X-Man known as Chronos - saving midtown from destruction.

Clint ran his hand down his face, groaning. “I am so screwed.”

Lucky, Clint’s dog, looked up from his bed and barked once.

“You are not helping,” Clint sighed.

Lucky barked again before going back to sleep.

“Thanks for nothing.” Clint replied. Sighing again, he headed off to get ready to face the music.

He slipped into SHIELD HQ about an hour later. He was still trying to put his thoughts together, so of course he ran into one of the people he’d been trying to avoid.

“Agent Barton, I see you’ve been busy.”

Fighting the urge to grimace, Clint turned around slowly. “Oh you know me, Coulson, he said. “I’ve always got something going on.”

Phil Coulson stood in the hallway behind the archer, holding a copy of the day’s paper in his hand. “Care to explain this?”

“It’s called a newspaper, Phil,” Clint answered. “Old people use it to get the news instead of going online.”

“My office, Barton,” Coulson snapped. “Now!”

Resigning himself to his fate, Clint followed the senior agent down the hall.

As much as he hadn’t wanted to face him just yet, Clint was glad that it was Coulson who had found him instead of Fury. The older man was tough but fair and was more inclined to listen, to hear the archer out before reacting. And while they tended to butt heads over the how of Clint’s actions in the field, they usually agreed on the why. So if he could get Coulson on their side, Chronos was pretty much off the target list.

Coulson waited until they were both seated with the door closed before tossing the paper on his desk. “All right, Barton, out with it.”

Clint picked up the paper, glancing at the headline. Of course he and Chronos were on the front page. “Case of right place, wrong time,” he explained. He proceeded to tell Coulson the events of the previous day, leaving out why he was looking for the young mutant and her illegal hacking.

Coulson listened to intently, asking a few questions here and there. “What did you do with the drones?” he asked when the other man had finished.

“Called a clean up team and had them sent to Stark’s lab,” Clint answered. “Figured maybe he could determine how they were fighting her powers and who sent them.”

Coulson nodded as he made a note in the file in front of him. “You made the right call, Clint,” he said. “But next time you decide to have a battle in the middle of the street, check in when you’re finished. I don’t enjoy learning about these things from The Daily Bugle.”

Clint started. “That’s it?” he asked, confused. “That’s why you wanted to talk to me?”

“Why else would I have wanted to speak with you?” Coulson replied.

“Well Chronos for starters,” Clint said.

“I’m familiar with her,” Coulson said. “Director Fury thinks she would be a valuable asset. I’m inclined to agree, if no other reason that it would keep her from hacking our mainframe every time she gets bored.”

“Then why was I ordered to kill her?” Clint blurted.

Coulson suddenly went very still. “What did you just say?”

Clint blanched, certain he had just signed his own death warrant. “I received an e-mail with evidence supporting the charge that Chronos was a mutant terrorist,” he said. “I was ordered to handle the situation with lethal force.”

Coulson pulled a tablet computer out of his desk and handed it to the other man. “Show me.”

Clint logged into his SHIELD profile and pulled up his e-mail. “Everything’s still here, including the order to keep this all to myself and then respond when the job was done,” he said handing the tablet back. “But I couldn’t do go through with it. She’s just a kid, Phil. She’s trying to do good, but the odds are stacked against her.”

Coulson read every page of the message in complete silence. When he finally looked up, only the slight tightening of his jaw gave anything away. “We didn’t send this.”

Clint felt like he was going to be sick. “What?”

“This was not sent by any active SHIELD agent working at this facility or any others at this time,” Coulson answered. His grip on the tablet had tightened with each word until it threatened to crack the casing. “We’ve been hacked.”

Clint felt the blood just drain out of his face. “Who could’ve done it?”

Coulson threw the tablet down on his desk. “Well I can think of two off the top of my head,” he replied dryly. “But I doubt Chronos is in the habit of sending death threats against herself. And even Stark wouldn’t pull a prank this sick.”

“No, Tony just would have made me dress up as Robin Hood and stand in the middle of Times Square at rush hour,” Clint agreed. “And I’m not falling for that again.”

Coulson adjusted his tie, another sign of how angry he was. “Who else knows about this?”

“Just you, me and Chronos,” Clint answered.

“Can you reach her?”

Clint nodded, pulling out his cell. “Just got her number this morning.”

“Call her,” Coulson ordered. “Arrange a meeting, some place neutral so we don’t scare her off. I think it’s time I had a chat with our little troublemaker.”

Clint unlocked his phone and started punching in the number.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Clint arranged for Chronos to meet them at a diner he knew. It was halfway between her hotel and SHEILD’s building so he figured it was safe enough. He and Coulson arrived first and ordered coffee while they waited.

Chronos came in a few minutes later. She was smiling as she walked towards them, but her whole demeanor changed when she spotted Coulson. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Clint stood up and grabbed her arm to keep her from bolting. “It’s all right, Timex, he’s a friend. You can trust him.”

“Why? I didn’t trust him the last time I saw him,” Chronos replied. “What’s the matter, Geekson? Fury get pissed that Barton didn’t finish the job so he sent his little lap dog to ambush me instead?”

“Hello, Chronos,” Coulson sighed.

Clint bit back a frustrated groan. He’d known this wasn’t going to go smoothly, but he hadn’t expected this. “Chronos, I swear we just want to talk to you,” he said. “Please, just sit down and listen.”

“Why the hell should I?”

“Because I’m asking you too,” Clint answered.

Chronos practically deflated at his words, the anger just draining out of her. “Okay,” she agreed.

Clint smiled as he gave her arm an affectionate squeeze. “That’s my girl.”

If Coulson had any thoughts on their exchange, he wisely kept them to himself. He just waited until they were both seated before filling Chronos in on what the two men had discovered.

Chronos’s face clouded in confusion as he spoke. “So basically someone set us both up?” she asked.

Coulson nodded. “In a nutshell, yes,” he answered.

"Well that would explain why the others and I got jumped the day we met, Birdman," Chronos sighed. "Whoever sent the email had their toadies set me up and move me to the right place so you could get your shot. I knew those morons were herding us, but One-eye wouldn't listen. Dumbass."

“I just can’t figure out why,” Clint added. “We never met before now and I doubt we have any enemies in common.”

“Whoever did it was damn good too,” Chronos replied. “I had no idea it was a fake.”

“Do you think you can track it back to the source?” Coulson asked.

Chronos tapped her fingers on the table as she thought it over. “Probably,” she finally admitted. “It’s gonna be tricky though. By now the original sender will have had time to cover their tracks.”

“Consider yourself on the clock then,” Coulson replied.

“Wait a minute, Phil,” Clint countered. “Don’t we already have people for this?”

“We do,” Coulson answered. “But I want to keep this between the three of us until we have a better idea of what’s going on. Plus she’s faster.”

Chronos was about to respond when she suddenly clutched her stomach. She clapped her hand over her mouth and bolted for the bathroom.

Concerned, Clint followed after her. “Timex, you okay?” he asked. He tried the knob but the door was locked.

He could hear her retching on the other side and then the toilet flushing.

Clint slipped a knife out of his boot and used it to pop the lock. “Timex, I’m coming in!” he called as he opened the door.

Chronos was standing over the toilet, dry heaving. Clint came up behind her and gently placed his hand on her back.

“What happened?” he asked. “Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”

Chronos shook her head. “Time disruption,” she choked out. “Big one, felt like I got stabbed. Made me puke.”

Clint went got a paper towel out of the dispenser. He ran it under some cold water before giving it to her. “Does this always happen?”

“More than I’d like it too,” Chronos answered. She used the towel to wipe her face as she straightened up.

“I hate to break this up, but we need to roll,” Coulson said as he walked up. “There’s been another drone attack.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

“Stay here,” Coulson ordered as he got out of the car.

“Yes, Dad,” Clint and Chronos replied in unison.

“Seriously?” Coulson sighed. “One of you wasn’t bad enough?” Shaking his head, he walked off towards the agents that were already on scene.

Clint climbed out of the backseat before opening the passenger door for Chronos. She’d still looked a little green when they’d left the diner, so he’d let her have shotgun. “You feeling any better?”

“Sort of,” Chronos answered. She got out of the car and stretched, raising her hands above her head and rolling her shoulders. “It’s weird, the pain and the nausea are fading, but I feel off. Like I’m all tingly and my skin’s too tight and I’m itchy. It’s never done any of that before.” She moved to the front of the car and sat down on the hood. “I don’t like it. Something’s disrupted time but I can’t tell if anything’s changed or even what happened in the first place.”

Clint closed the car doors before joining her. “I’m not throwing you off, am I?”

Chronos shook her head. “You’re a minor glitch, a bug on the lens. I can deal.”

“Geez, thanks,” Clint replied sarcastically.

Chronos leaned over and bumped him with her shoulder. “Be happy you’re a glitch,” she said. “If you were a major problem, I’d have to fix the time line and possibly remove you from it. And I’m not real crazy about the idea of removing you.”

Clint grinned. “I like you too, Timex,” he laughed. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “So you gonna tell me what that was between you and Coulson back at the diner?”

“I may have dealt with Coulson a couple of times before,” Chronos explained. “Fury keeps trying to recruit me and I keep saying no, but I have agreed to do a couple of freelance consulting jobs that needed my particular skill set. He sends Geekson to deal with me so he doesn’t have to do it himself, the wuss.”

“And it didn’t strike you as odd that all of a sudden SHIELD wanted you dead?”

Chronos shrugged. “I don’t work for SHIELD, I do favors for Fury.” she answered. “Nobody wants me for me, Birdman, they want my powers. Chrono-variant mutants are extremely rare and I’m probably the strongest of the bunch. Fury is at least honest about why he wants me. And Geekson’s okay. It’s the agency I don’t trust, the people above Fury that really run SHIELD. I just figured they finally overruled him.”

Clint sighed. “I’m sorry, kid.”

“For what?” Chronos asked, confused.

“For whatever happened in your life that’s made you so paranoid,” Clint answered.

Chronos looked at him, even more confused. “How do you know it’s not just another symptom of my mental illness?”

“Because I know the difference between mentally ill and honest paranoia,” Clint answered. “You have all the signs of a hard earned royally screwed over by life case of honest paranoia. I know because I have one myself. I’ve just learned to soften the edges over the years.”

Chronos just sat there, staring at him. She wasn’t very good at dealing with her own emotions, let alone somebody else’s. And the fact that this human, this near stranger, genuinely seemed concerned about her was just not computing.

Thankfully, Coulson came to her rescue with another timely arrival. “Look familiar?” he asked as he held up the remains of a drone.

“That’s the same kind of drone we took out yesterday,” Clint answered. “What did the witnesses say?”

“That’s where it gets weird,” Coulson sighed, giving away exactly how he felt about weird. “Every witness remembers hearing a loud shrieking noise and then nothing until the agents started questioning them.”

“Security cameras?” Clint asked.

Coulson shook his head. “All mysteriously malfunctioned at the same time.”

“Cell phone footage?”

“Nothing but black screens.”

“Anybody see any scary looking aliens in black suits with no mouths?” Chronos muttered.

Coulson looked at her in confusion while Clint fought off a laugh.

“Excuse me?” Coulson asked.

Chronos waved him off. “Nevermind,” she said.

“So what’s the plan?” Clint asked.

Chronos held her hand out to Coulson. “Now you let me do my thing.”

Coulson nodded once as he took her hand.

Clint still had his arm around her shoulders so he just left it there, curious.

“Rewind!” Chronos commanded.

Everything around them started moving in reverse. It was like watching a movie backwards, only while sitting in the middle of the action. Just as Clint was starting to feel queasy, it stopped.

“What the hell?!” Chronos exclaimed.

“I take it you didn’t stop it then,” Coulson replied.

“Unless I specify a duration, it’s supposed to keep going until I either change the command or say stop,” Chronos explained.

With the last word, time started moving forward again.

Chronos crumpled in defeat. “At least that still works,” she mumbled.

Clint pursed his lips in thought. “Timex, you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That this is our mystery time disruption and that it’s related to how these effing things were fighting my powers yesterday?” Chronos asked.

Clint nodded. “Got it in one.”

Coulson handed the drone to Chronos and his car keys to Clint. “Get this to Stark,” he said. “Tell him I said this is now his top priority or I’m letting Chronos set up an online dating profile for him.”

Chronos perked up, an evil little grin on her face. “Can I do it anyway?”

“And that is why I’m putting you in charge, Barton,” Coulson replied. “She’s your responsibility, if she causes any trouble it’s on your head.”

“Aw man, you never let me have any fun,” Chronos pouted.

“Behave yourself and I’ll let you set one up for Cap,” Clint promised.

“Whoo-hoo!” Chronos cheered. “You’re the best, Birdman.”

Coulson stammered and sputtered for a minute before finally just walking away.

“He really is too easy, isn’t he?” Chronos asked.

“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” Clint agreed. He bumped shoulders with her again before they got back in the car and drove off.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

“Whatever it is, Merida, it’ll have to wait. I’m busy.”

Clint rolled his eyes as he and Chronos entered Tony Stark’s lab. JARVIS had let them in and warned them that the master of the house was in a mood. Apparently he had undersold it just a bit.

Chronos walked over, checking out the computer screen Stark was glued too. “You’re playing Asteroids!” she snorted.

Stark turned to glare at her. “Isn't that a little before your time?”

“I’m a time traveller,” Chronos replied, unfazed. “Nothing is before my time.”

“Coulson sent us,” Clint said. “There was another drone attack.” He quickly filled the other man in on the details of the attack.

“Do you have the remains?” Stark asked.

Chronos held up the drone Coulson had given her. “Take it, damn thing makes me itch. I finally had to trash mine.”

“Makes you itch?” Stark repeated. “Define itch.”

“I don’t know, just what I said, itch,” Chronos answered, shrugging. “Like I’m breaking out in hives or something.”

Stark stood up and took the drone from her. “What about you, Clint? Does it make you ‘itch’?”

Clint shook his head. “No,” he answered. “What about you?”

“I’ve had no reaction to them either,” Stark replied.

“Do you think it’s some kind of mutant versus ord thing?” Chronos asked.

Clint turned to her, confused. “Ord?”

“Ordinary human,” Chronos explained.

“I thought flatscan was the the term for an ordinary human,” Clint said.

“I only use that one for the ones that are pissing me off,” Chronos replied.

“So when you called me that yesterday. . .”

“You were pissing me off,” Chronos answered.

“Good to know,” Clint replied.

Stark had ignored their little exchange and started working on the drone instead. “It’s possible it has a different affect on mutants than humans,” he said. “But then why did it affect all of those people the same way? And why did it cause all of the cameras to malfunction?” He started muttering to himself as he took the machine apart. “I’ll call you if I find something.”

Clint grabbed Chronos and led her out of the lab, knowing a Stark dismissal when he heard one. “Nice job,” he said to her.

“What did I do?” Chronos asked.

“You gave Tony the one thing he can’t resist,” Clint explained. “A challenge.”

 

Once they were in the car, Chronos instructed Clint to take her back to her hotel.

“You sure?” he asked.

Chronos nodded. “I wanna get started on my end of things,” she answered. “I have a program that can help me trace the email but it’s on my laptop. Which I didn’t bring with me since I was supposed to be getting breakfast.”

“Yeah, about that,” Clint sighed. They stopped at a red light so he turned to look at her. “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have ambushed you like that. But I didn’t want to tell you what we’d learned over the phone and I was afraid if I told you about Coulson you wouldn’t show.” Then the light changed and and he had to look away.

Chronos sat there in stunned silence, her mouth hanging open as she stared at him. “Did you seriously just apologize? To me?”

“Well yeah,” Clint answered. “I do like you, Timex, and I think we could be friends. And since I try to not make a habit out of screwing over my friends, on purpose anyway, I felt an apology was in order.”

Chronos shook her head in disbelief. “People don’t apologize to me, especially not people like you,” she said. "And I don't have friends."

“People like me?” Clint asked. “This another flatscan comment?”

“No, I mean. . . “ Chronos pulled her head down, almost folding in on herself as she hid behind her hat and collar. “You’re one of the good guys, an Avenger. I’m a nobody, just another mutant freak and a headcase on top of it. I’m not worth apologizing to, especially since it’s usually my fault in the first place.”

Clint broke about three traffic laws as he pulled the car over and slammed on the brakes. “Didn’t we have this argument yesterday? Just because you’re sick doesn’t mean you’re evil or worthless. And I don’t let just anybody ride shotgun with me.”

“What do you know about it?” Chronos snorted, turning away from him.

“I may not know what it’s like to struggle with mental illness or to be hated and feared because I’m a mutant,” Clint said. “But I do know what it’s like to be constantly told you’re worthless, to think that you’re useless or even a monster.”

He ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath. “My father was an abusive bastard who used to beat the shit out of my brother and me. He died after deciding to end an argument with my mother by wrapping their car around a tree,” he continued. “I did some things before I joined the Avengers that I’m not exactly proud of, things that make me feel like a monster too. And I’ve had plenty of people tell me I’m the useless Avenger, that I have no place on the team. Hell, I tell myself that all the time. But I know I’m where I belong, even though I still struggle with that self doubt every day. And I see a lot of me in you.”

Chronos finally turned to look at him. “Then boy are you screwed.”

Clint barked out a laugh. “You may have a point there.”

“You do realize hanging out with me is kind of a roller coaster ride, right?” Chronos asked.

“You’re nothing, try dealing with Banner when we’re out of coffee.” Clint eased the car back into traffic and resumed their journey.

“I’m. . . I’m sorry about your dad,” Chronos said quietly a few minutes later. “He sounds like a real dick.”

Clint shrugged. “What’s done is done,” he replied. “You can’t change the past.” Then he grinned. “Well, I can’t.”

Chronos finally set back up. “I can’t always either,” she admitted. “Not without serious consequences anyway.”

“Right, fixed points,” Clint said.

“Something like that,” Chronos agreed. “Only when the Doctor talks about them, he means big things like Pompeii. Fixed points happen on a more personal level too. Like my parents having a head on with a semi.”

“See, one more thing we have in common,” Clint replied. “Only you probably didn’t run off to join the circus when the system screwed you over.”

“No,” Chronos said. “I just spent a year crashing on my best friend’s floor before finally running away to New York.”

“So do you have friends,” Clint teased.

“No I don’t, not anymore,” Chronos replied. “I just have people that annoy me less than the rest of the universe.”

“Am I on that list?”

“For the moment,” Chronos answered. “Keep making me feel stuff and I’m kicking you right off of it though.”

“I’ll try and keep that in mind.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - this chapter does include a frank discussion about a suicide attempt. Feel free to skip it if that sort of thing triggers you.

Chapter Eight

After he dropped her off, Clint headed back to SHIELD HQ. He went to find Coulson and they exchanged notes. Then he grabbed an empty office and caught up on some paperwork he’d been putting off.

Coulson had come up with an excuse to take the archer off active duty until this little mystery was solved. But Clint was a man of action and waiting for Stark and Chronos to come up with something was driving him crazy.

He could be patient when he had a target. He’d been known to stand still for hours waiting for the perfect shot. Only there was no target and he was at a loss.

Clint decided to start making a list of all his enemies and cross-reference it against the X-Men’s known adversaries. After an hour of typing, he went from clueless to clueless and depressed. Nothing like seeing the names of all your enemies in black and white to ruin your day.

Feeling antsy, he headed down to the gym for a workout. There were two junior agents there as well who were willing to spar so that helped him work out some tension. He followed that up with a couple of hours of target practice, his mind finally going still.

After a quick shower, he decided to go home. Clint shared a couple of slices of cold pizza with Lucky and tried to watch some TV. He was starting to debate just going to bed when someone started pounding on his door. 

“Hang on, I’m comin’!” he yelled. Groaning, he went to the door and opened it.

Chronos blasted past him as soon as the door was open. “That asshole!” she bellowed, absolutely livid. “He has no right to treat me that way! I’m so sick of all his bull. . .” She stopped suddenly. “You have a dog.”

Lucky had come out of the kitchen, curious about the newcomer.

Clint closed his door, giving him a chance to recover from her abrupt subject change. “Uh, yeah, his name’s Lucky.”

Chronos got down on her knees and held her hand out to Lucky to sniff. “Why didn’t I see him last time?”

“He was at a neighbor’s,” Clint explained. “She watches him sometimes when I’m working.”

Lucky came over to the young woman and sniffed her. Satisfied, he sat down and let her pet him.

“Oh, he’s missing an eye!” Chronos exclaimed. “What happened to him?”

Clint walked over to join them. “Got hit by a car,” he explained. “He saved me from these dirtbags in tracksuits that used to own him, so they threw him into traffic. I kicked the guy’s ass and took Lucky in after I got him fixed up.”

“Oh you poor baby!” Chronos cooed to the dog. “Good thing Birdman beat up that douche bag or Auntie Chronos would have to do it for him. Yes I would.”

Lucky, being a smart dog, turned up the puppy eyes and added a few pathetic whines.

“I just fed you,” Clint reminded him. “And Timex, while I’m happy to see you, why are you here?”

Chronos looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

Clint sat down across from her, keeping Lucky between them. “What happened?”

Chronos dropped her bag on the floor next to her before continuing to pet Lucky. “One-eye,” she said quietly. “I went straight back to my room after you dropped me off and started working. Nobody else was there so I just kind of got into the zone. I was in to it for a few hours but there’s this point where I kind of just have to let the program go and let it do it’s own thing. That’s when I remembered I hadn’t eaten anything all day.”

“Sorry,” Clint replied sheepishly.

“It happens,” Chronos admitted. “Anyway, I threw my laptop in my bag and head out to get something to eat, only I ran into Cyclops. He started pestering me about where I’d been all day so I told him I was working on a secret freelance project - not a lie and I’ve done it before. Only this time he went off on me. He treats me like I’m a useless kid, like I can’t handle myself and I’m too unstable to go out alone. He pushes every button I have until he manages to finally trigger a meltdown and then throws it back in my face as proof that he’s right. And I just. . . I just had to get out of there before I did something stupid. I can’t go back, not tonight, and I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

Clint shook his head and sighed. Scott Summers had never been one of his favorite people and hearing his made him want to do something stupid. Instead, he decided to concentrate on the one thing he could do. “You like Chinese?”

Chronos smiled, grateful. “Yeah, I love it.”

Clint reached over and gave the brim of her hat a playful tap before going to order the food.

He kept the conversation light while they waited, giving her time to calm down. They both had a love of classic sci-fi, so he focused on that. She became more animated as she warmed to the subject, the tension finally leaking out of her small frame.

They settled in at his kitchen island, eating straight out of the cartons. She even managed a genuine smile when he handed her the chopsticks.

“Thanks, Birdman,” she said.

“Can I ask you something?” Clint asked. “The Birdman thing, what’s that all about?”

Chronos wrinkled her nose in a grimace. “Yeah, not one of my better ones I admit,” she answered. “But Robin Hood seemed to obvious and I figured you were probably sick of Katniss and Legolas. There’s a fine line between being annoying and being flat out obnoxious and I try to tread it very carefully.”

“So you are doing it to be annoying!” Clint laughed.

“Pretty much,” Chronos agreed. She dug into her food and stuffed some rice and vegetables into her mouth before continuing. “Emma says I do it to distance myself from the others. I say I do it because it lets me know who’s worth hanging out with.”

Clint stopped his chopsticks halfway to this mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Like One-eye hates it, Wolverine and Beast think it’s a term of endearment, Emma laughed the first time,” Chronos explained. Then she grinned again. “You’re the first one who’s ever given me one back.”

“Okay, I gotta know, what do you call Emma Frost?” Clint asked, curious.

“Frosty the Snow Bitch.”

Clint burst out laughing. “You seriously call The White Queen Frosty the Snow Bitch?”

Chronos shrugged. “She pissed me off and I just snapped,” she explained. “She cracked up, which made me laugh, and it kind of popped the tension between us. I’ve got issues with telepaths so we’ll never be a hundred percent, but she sticks up for me with One-eye sometimes and she’s always straight with me. So I’m cool with her.”

“You’ve said that before, about people being straight with you,” Clint pointed out.

Chronos shrugged again. “I’ve been stabbed in the back more times than I care to remember,” she replied. “You were right when you said I’d earned my paranoia. So I appreciate honesty. And you’ve been honest with me, so that’s why I’ve been straight with you.”

Clint put his food down, suddenly feeling guilty. “Uh, well, I haven’t been completely honest with you,” he said. “I wasn’t originally trying to just save you. I figured if I could convince SHIELD you didn’t need to be eliminated, I could save my own ass from getting busted for disobeying orders.”

Chronos took a sip of her drink. “Cool.”

“Okay, that was not the reaction I was expecting,” Clint replied.

“People who do good just to do good creep me out,” Chronos explained. “Finding out you had a justifiable ulterior motive is kind of a relief.”

“You are just one big bundle of issues, aren’t you?”

“Pretty much,” Chronos agreed, grinning. “And you don’t know the half of it. Professor Xavier had a theory that my powers were both my saving grace and my downfall. He figured my temporal awareness and latent telepathic abilities are what give me my lucid moments. But it also kept me from being diagnosed for the longest time. Matter of fact they only figured out what was wrong with me after I was. . .” Suddenly her voice trailed off.

“Until what?” Clint prompted gently.

Chronos looked away, unable to meet his gaze again. “Until I was hospitalized for trying to kill myself the first time,” she answered, swallowing hard.

“Aw, kid,” Clint sighed.

Chronos shrugged again. “It was right after I moved to New York,” she said, still refusing to look at him. “I came here right after high school. I was supposed to get settled and then send for Tommy, my best friend. He was the only other mutant back home but he was shy and quiet. I’d been here a month when I wrote him, but the letter got sent back. He disappeared and I still can’t find him. He was always there for me when I needed him but I let him down.”

She finally looked back up at him and met his eyes. “Ever try to slit your wrists with a healing factor? It’s not easy,” she said. “I practically had to sever my left hand and then I had to hold the knife in my teeth to do the right one. Only got caught because the the cheap ass tub was overflowing and it leaked into the apartment below mine. Landlord called the cops after he came to yell at me. Never did get my security deposit back come to think of it.”

Then she let out that bitter laugh. “And why am I telling you all of this? I barely know you and I’ve practically told you my life story.”

Now it was Clint’s turn to shrug. “Maybe you just needed to tell someone,” he replied. “Maybe I just have one of those faces. Maybe you’re just lonely and you know I care.”

“Bullshit,” Chronos snapped. “I told you, I don’t have friends.”

“Fine, don’t think of me as a friend, think of me as a big brother,” Clint shot back. “With our histories we could practically be related anyway. Plus, as your big brother, I can smack you around when you’re being an idiot. At least that’s how it worked with my big brother.”

“Are you always this persistent?” Chronos asked.

Clint nodded. “Yep. That’s how I ended up the best.”

“The best at what?” Chronos snorted. “Being a pain in the ass?”

“Now you sound like a little sister.” Clint snatched her hat and threw it across the room, causing it to land perfectly on one of his shelves.

“Hey!” Chronos ran after hat and placed it firmly back on her head. “Not funny, Birdman.”

Clint held up the egg roll he’d stolen from her when she’d gotten up. “Maybe, but it served my purpose.” Grinning, he took a bite.

Chronos tried to hide the faint grin on her face but failed. “Butthead.”

Clint took another bite of the egg roll before throwing the rest to Lucky. “If you wanna crash here tonight, that’s fine,” he said. “You can have my bed, I’ll take the couch.”

“No thanks,” Chronos replied. “On the bed, I mean, I don’t sleep.”

“You don’t sleep?” Clint repeated.

Chronos shook her head. “When I’m manic, I’m too wired. And when I’m depressed, I have nightmares that would make Eli Roth puke. I usually either go until I pass out or grab cat naps here and there. Right now, I’m too up.”

“Well lack of sleep would explain your attitude,” Clint teased.

Chronos stuck her tongue out at him. “Doofus,” she snickered. “I had planned on just working on that e-mail some more. So if you don’t mind me mooching your wifi. . .?”

“Knock yourself out,” Clint replied. “I mostly have it for Angry Birds and porn anyway.”

“Okay that was a TMI,” Chronos teased as she reclaimed her barstool. She picked up her chopsticks, but then ducked her head. “Thanks, Birdman. For, you know.”

Clint gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Any time, Timex.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

When Clint woke up the next morning, he found Chronos camped out on his couch, hunched over her laptop. Lucky was curled up at her feet, keeping her company.

“Find anything?” he asked as he headed into the kitchen.

Chronos leaned her head back against the couch, stretching her neck. “Yes and no,” she answered. “The trace is taking forever. This guy bounced it off so many servers I’ve been around the world twice and I still haven’t found the originator. But check this out.” She got up and took her computer over to the counter.

Clint looked at the screen but it all looked like gibberish. “I don’t speak code,” he reminded her.

“Sorry, I forgot I’m the brains,” Chronos replied sheepishly. “This code is ingenious. It's designed to self-destruct as soon as you reply to it, erasing all traces of itself. And if you had tried to print it or forward it, it would have turned into nothing but random characters. Shoot, only reason I was able to see it was because I basically mirrored the SHIELD server and piggy backed off your inbox.”

“So if I had followed orders and replied when I had finished the job. . .” Clint started.

“It would have vanished and made it look like you’d gone rogue or lost it,” Chronos finished. “This is wicked. I’m almost impressed.”

Clint sat down hard as the implications hit him. “This is fucked, this is so seriously fucked,” he said. “I could have killed you, for nothing, and the only proof that I was following orders would have vanished. I was being set up and it all would have been gone with a click.”

“But you didn’t,” Chronos reminded him. “You saw through it. You’re a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for.”  
“Yeah, right,” Clint snorted.

“No, I mean it,” Chronos replied. “You were smart enough to think for yourself when this whole situation didn’t feel right. You design and build your trick arrows, which are awesome. And what you do with a bow? Pure mathematical poetry.”

“Isn’t that an oxymoron?”

“Not for a math geek,” Chronos answered. “Trajectory, distance, wind speed and direction, those are all complex mathematical equations. And you’re usually doing them on the fly against moving targets that are usually shooting back. You do it as naturally as I give attitude. Besides, I don’t hang out with idiots.”

Clint started to blush, embarrassed by her praise. Compliments on his archery skills he was used too, but his intellect was another matter. Luckily, he was saved by his phone ringing.

“Get over here.”

“And a lovely good morning to you too, Mr. Stark,” Clint replied.

“I found something,” Stark said, ignoring him. “Get the human stopwatch and get over here.”

“We’re on our way.” Clint hung up the phone and turned to Chronos. “Stark found something, we’re on.”

Chronos tapped a few keys on her laptop before shutting it down. “Let’s roll.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

“Anti-chronotons, ” Stark said, barely waiting for them to walk into the lab.

“No way!” Chronos exclaimed. “I thought those were still theoretical.”

Stark waved her towards one of his computer screens. “See for yourself.”

Clint raised his hand. “Uh, non-genius in the room,” he said. “One of you want to put that into English.”

“Time is an energy form, just like light or electricity or radiation. It’s made up of particles called chronotons,” Chronos explained. “So some scientists think chronotons have an opposite particle called an anti-chronoton.”

“Oh, like matter and anti-matter,” Clint replied.

“Exactly!” Chronos beamed, pleased that he was catching on. “And just like matter and anti-matter, put them together and things go boom. Only in the case of chronotons and anti-chronotons, it’s time going boom.”

“Can you track these anti-particles?” Clint asked.

“No,” Chronos admitted. Then she grinned. “But I can track the booms.”

Clint matched her grin. “Like throwing up in a diner bathroom?”

“Or feeling like I’m breaking out in hives,” Chronos agreed. “My body’s constantly being flooded by chronotons, having something like an allergic reaction to the anti-chronotons makes perfect sense.”

Clint perked up as he suddenly realized something. “Oh, oh! The hole yesterday!”

Chronos’s eyes grew wide. “Son of a bitch!” she gasped. “That’s it, that’s why I couldn’t back time up! My powers weren’t malfunctioning, it was a damn hole in time!”

“Now I feel like Clint,” Stark said. “What are you two carrying on about?”

Clint decided to take a chance and fill his friend in on the entire situation.

Stark pursed his lips in thought after the other man had finished. “Well if she can trace these disturbances, that would explain why someone wanted the kid eliminated,” he said finally.

“I just don’t know why someone would go to all that trouble,” Clint admitted. “Why create these anti-chronotons and the drones in the first place?”

“It makes a damn good eraser for starters,” Chronos answered.

“What do you mean?” Clint asked.

“Well, say Rust Boy here calls me kid again and I decide to deck him,” Chronos started.

“Hey!” Stark snapped.

“Just an example,” Chronos replied, feigning innocence. “I can use my powers to back time up and make everybody but me forget I did it. But say you wanna do something bigger, like rob a bank. I can only keep what I can carry or shove into my bag or pockets, so it makes it kind of pointless. But with these literal time bombs, you go in, take what you want, and then erase the entire event by making a hole in time where it happened.”

Clint narrowed his eyes. “You thought of that way to quickly,” he pointed out. “But it makes sense. Your devious mind scares me though.”

Chronos grinned at him. “Thanks.”

“I’m still having trouble with the whole thought process behind this scheme,” Stark said. “Taking out the k. . .walking chronometer over there sounds like it’s business. But setting you up? That sounds personal to me.”  
“Tell me about it,” Clint replied. “I’ve been wracking my brain, going over my enemy list trying to figure out who would have it in for me that bad. So far all I’ve gotten is a complex.”

Suddenly a loud wheezing noise pierced the air.

“Sorry, that was me,” Chronos said, digging out her cell. “I set my tracer program to send me a text message when it finally finished.”

“What’s it say?” Clint asked.

“Okay, either this guy’s really good or my program’s on the fritz,” Chronos answered. “It keeps pinging back and forth between a server in Brooklyn and one in Germany. Jackass must have tied them together to throw off the trail.”

The color started to drain out of Clint’s face. “Germany?”

Stark had caught his friend’s train of though. “Do you think it’s him?”

“Who else could it be?” Clint countered. “He’s the only one with the scientific know how and the reason to hate me. And I just can’t get rid of the bastard!” He slammed his fist down on the table in front of him before storming out.

Chronos turned to Stark, confused. “What did I just miss?” she asked as she shoved her phone back in her pocket.

“Baron Zemo,” Stark sighed. “Old enemy of Cap’s that Clint kind of inherited. They fell in love with the same woman, only she had an end of the world level power meltdown. Clint was forced to kill her and Zemo swore revenge.”

Chronos took her glasses off and cleaned them with the hem of her T-shirt as she thought. She finally put them back on and before starting to leave.

“Where are you going?” Stark asked.

Chronos sighed. “To be a little sister.”

She found him in an unused lab, throwing a chair around.

“Word of advice?” she asked as she came in. “Only punch the wall if you know what it’s made out of. A broken hand is no fun, even with a healing factor.” She walked over to a table and floated up so she could sit on it. “Kicking works okay if you’re wearing steel toed boots. Throwing breakable stuff works the best, but then you have to be willing to clean up the mess.”

Clint flashed her a sad smile. “Voice of experience?”

“My meltdowns are epic,” Chronos replied. “Rust Boy filled me in.”

“I kinda figured,” Clint sighed.

“This chick, I’m assuming it was a her or the entire planet kind of thing?” Chronos asked.

Clint nodded. “I didn’t want to, but I had no other choice. She was begging me to do it, to stop her, and I just . . .”

Chronos reached out and grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, I get it,” she said. “I let my parents die to save the time line. I didn’t pull the trigger but I might as well have. And you? You are a good man, Clint Barton. But sometimes being a hero means having to make the tough choices. If there had been any other way, I know you would have figured it out. And if this Zemo douche can’t see that, the he’s either blind or crazier than I am.”

“I don’t feel like a hero,” Clint sighed. “I feel like an ass and a coward.”  
“Okay, now which one of us is nuts?” Chronos shot back. “Clint, you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. You’re a flatscan, as human as they come. I pull the stuff I pull during a fight because I know that unless they blow my head clean off I’m gonna end up in one piece. But you? You fight the same stuff the rest of the Avengers do with no powers at all. Which either makes you incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Personally, I’m going with brave.”

Clint shook his head as he laughed. “For someone who doesn’t care, you’re pretty good at this pep talk stuff,” he said.

“Lucky for you I’m having a lucid day,” Chronos replied. “Having a puzzle to solve keeps me focused and gets all the cylinders firing on max.” She jumped down and adjusted her glasses. “Now can we please go find this guy and kick his ass?”

“Think you can find a location?”

“Is Rust Boy losing his hair?” Chronos teased.

“Hey!” Stark yelled from the hallway.

“I knew you were out there, dumb ass,” Chronos laughed.

“I like her, Barton,” Stark said as he stuck his head in the lab. “She grows on you, kind of like a fungal infection.”

Clint rolled his eyes. “I need to call Coulson and fill him in,” he said. “You want in on this, Tony?”

Stark shook his head. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to go play business man,” he answered. “You two will just have to have all the fun without me.” Then he turned to Chronos. “And you, stay out of my bank account.”

“Fine,” Chronos groaned. “But I make no promises about your Facebook.”

“I’ll have Pepper change my password as soon as I get to the office,” Stark replied. He nodded to Clint before they all headed out.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

With SHIELD’s help, Chronos was able to track Zemo down to a warehouse in Brooklyn. Finding out his enemy was that close all this time had nearly sent Clint on a Hulk sized rampage.

Coulson quickly assembled a team while Clint changed into his working clothes. Once he had his bow in his hand, he had calmed down and started putting together a plan.

When they were all in the tactical van and on the road, Clint addressed his team. “All right, here’s the plan,” he said. “Chronos, you’re with me. Chances are Zemo knows I didn’t fall for his trap, but he might not be expecting us to still be working together or know that we’re on to his anti-chronotons. I figure he’ll be in his lab somewhere, working on another batch of drones, so you’re gonna be our bloodhound. You’re little allergy should lead us right to him.”

Then he turned to his fellow agents. “No offense, guys, but you all are mostly here to work clean up and deal with Zemo’s flunkies,” he continued. “Zemo is dangerous, so if you do encounter him, strictly radio in and do not engage.”

“Right, leave him to the nutjobs,” Chronos added. At Clint’s dirty look, she threw her hands up in mock surrender. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“Hell yeah!” Chronos answered. “Go with it, Birdman. I solved the puzzle, tracked down the bad guy, and there’s a promise of some truly epic violence. Why I’m positively giddy!”

Clint stared at her for a minute, his mouth moving but nothing coming out. “I can’t tell if you’re serious or messing with me,” he said finally. “And quite frankly, I’m not sure which option is scarier.”  
Chronos’s grin sent shivers down his spine. “Whichever one lets you sleep at night, Birdman.”

“Yeah, I am so glad you’re on my side,” Clint sighed.

Once they reached their destination, Chronos grabbed Clint and pulled him aside. “Look, Birdman, with the potential for a shit load of anti-chronotons floating around, there’s a good possibility that my powers won’t work,” she said. “So if something happens, I won’t. . . I mean I can’t. . .”

“You won’t be able to stop me from getting hurt,” Clint finished for her. “It’s okay, Timex. I can take care of myself.”  
“No, it’s just. . .” Chronos grunted in frustration. “I know you can take care of yourself. But the idea of you getting hurt is bothering me and I don’t like that it’s bothering me.”

“Well I have been known to drive women crazy,” Clint teased. “Usually not in a good way either. But to be honest, I didn’t know you cared.”

“I don’t, I’m just trying to keep a fellow smart ass in one piece,” Chronos shot back.

Clint laughed, the banter exactly what he needed to calm his anger and help him focus. “I guess I deserved that,” he replied. “But I’ll make you a deal, I’ll try and be careful if you promise to be careful too. Because the idea of you getting hurt bothers me.”

“You do know most people don’t care,” Chronos pointed out.

Clint tapped the brim of her hat. “I’m not most people,” he replied. “So deal?”

Chronos nodded. “Deal.”

Clint grabbed his glasses and slipped them on. “Then let’s go kick some ass.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

“Dammit!” Chronos screamed, slamming her hand against the wall. The situation was quickly getting out of hand and she was heading towards a meltdown.

She had downloaded a copy of the blueprints for the building, which the entire team had committed to memory. As soon as they had entered the building though, they realized their information was completely wrong. Clint had said not to worry, that they’d just use Chronos as their guide. But the deeper they got into the building, the heavier the anti-chronotons became. Before she knew it, she’d gotten hopelessly lost and separated from Clint.

“I could fucking kill somebody!” she snapped.

“Such foul language. But I suppose I should have expected as much from a lesser specimen.”

Chronos sneered at the unexpected voice. “German accent, superior attitude, and I’m assuming face like a decaying monkey’s ass. You must be Zemo,” she replied. “Why don’t you come out here and face me and I’ll show you who’s the lesser specimen. Or do you need to trick somebody into doing your dirty work again?”

Zemo entered the room, his face obscured by the mask he always wore. “I should have known better than to trust such an important operation to that fool Barton. But who knew the Hawk would suddenly grow a conscious? No matter, with my anti-chronotons rendering you powerless, you will be easy to finish myself.” He drew his sword and and swung it at Chronos’s head.

Chronos quickly raised her staff, countering his blow. “Seriously? Did you honestly think I needed my powers to stop a dumbass like you? I’m homo superior, numbnuts. That means I’m faster than you.” She pushed up, easily moving his blade aside. “I’m stronger than you.” Then she twisted her staff, knocking the blade out of his hand. “And I’m smarter than you.”

Zemo reached behind him and pulled out a gun. “But you are not bullet proof, ja?”

“DOWN!”

Chronos hit the floor just as the arrow flew through the space where her head had been. It knocked the gun out of Zemo’s hand, allowing her to use her staff to knock his feet out from under him.

“Frickin’ took you long enough, Birdman,” she said as she stood up.

Clint came in from behind her, another arrow knocked and trained on Zemo’s prone from. “Sorry, I missed the left turn at Albuquerque and got lost,” he joked. “You okay?”

Zemo started to pick his head up and Chronos punched him, knocking him out cold. “I’m good.”

“That’s my girl,” Clint laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

With Zemo out, it didn’t take long to find his lab and shut it down. It turned out that the anti-chronotons were actually responsible for the warehouse’s changing lay out - agents would walk through pockets of the particles and “forget” which way they had just come. Even Chronos wasn’t completely immune to their affects and she eventually had to leave the building.

Clint found her sitting on top of the SHIELD van. “I figured you would have taken off by now,” he said as he climbed up to join her.

Chronos shrugged. “Thought I should see it through to the end,” she replied. “You’re not mad are you?”

What? About you fighting Zemo?” Clint asked. “Why would I be mad about that? I’m just glad he didn’t hurt you.”

Chronos ducked her head - a gesture that he finally realized was her version of blushing. “Yeah, well, powers or not, I’m not exactly a damsel in distress in need of a rescue.”

“That was not rescuing a damsel in distress,” Clint replied. “That was a last minute dramatic entrance. Big difference.”

“What’s the difference?” Chronos asked.

“Well timing mostly.”

Chronos turned to him in disbelief. “Did you seriously just make a time joke? To me?”

“It wasn’t intentional, I swear!” Clint laughed.

Chronos shook her head, snickering. “That was terrible. Seriously, that’s like me making an arrow joke.”

“Admittedly that was not one of my better quips,” Clint agreed. “So, where to next?”

Chronos shrugged again. “Back to Utopia, I guess,” she answered. “I texted Emma, told her my secret mission was over. She said the others are getting ready to leave soon.”

“I kind of hate to see you go,” Clint replied. “We make a pretty good team.”

Chronos smiled sadly. “I’ve had more fun the past few days than I’ve had in a long time,” she said. “And you are pretty cool, Birdman. But I have my reasons for staying with the X-Men. I can’t just leave ‘em.”

Clint put a brotherly arm around her shoulders. “I understand, Timex. But if you ever need anything.”

“You’re still in my contacts,” Chronos promised.

Clint looked up and spotted Coulson approaching. “Uh oh, here comes Dad,” he said. He started climbing down while Chronos just floated to the ground.

“I should have known you two would be out here while the real work was going on inside,” Coulson said once he reached them.

“Figured you could use the exercise since you spend all your time sitting behind a desk,” Clint teased.

“Well someone has to do all your paperwork, Barton,” Coulson replied.

Chronos held up her smart phone. “Don’t look at me, I’m strictly paperless.”

Clint bit back a laugh. “And you say my puns are bad?”

Chronos just stuck her tongue out at him.

“Anyway,” Coulson continued, ignoring them, “I was looking for you, Chronos. The lab techs were able to disassemble Zemo’s anti-chronoton generator, but the couldn’t find any of his research on how it works. Seems like his hard drive was erased.”

“Probably the virus I uploaded before I came out here,” Chronos replied. Then she put her phone back in her pocket and pulled out a thumb drive. “Of course, I did manage to get a copy before I wiped everything.”

“Chronos!” Clint admonished.

“This tech knocks out my powers and makes me vulnerable, Clint. I can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands,” Chronos snapped. Then she turned to Coulson. “That’s why I’m giving it to you. With two conditions.”

“I could have you arrested,” Coulson pointed out.

“And I could have flown out of here a long time ago,” Chronos shot back. “Look, I’m trying, Geekson, ok? I’m making an effort here, least you can do is meet me halfway.”

Coulson folded his arms across in front of his chest. “You’re right,” he agreed. “So what are your terms?”

“One, this goes straight into the vault,” Chronos explained. “And two, Clint gets access to it.”

“His clearance level isn’t high enough, Chronos,” Coulson argued.

“Then make it high enough!” Chronos barked. “I’m not asking you to give him the whole vault, just this.”

Clint held up his hand. “Um, I’m a little lost again,” he said. “Somebody wanna fill me in?”

“You tell him,” Coulson said to Chronos. “I’m not even supposed to be discussing it with either one of you.”

“SHIELD has a secure digital server that’s nicknamed the vault. It’s so secure I can’t even hack it,” Chronos explained. “I only know it exists because I stumbled upon it looking for something else. Plus the results of some of the jobs I’ve pulled for SHIELD ended up there.”

“Fury, Hill, and a handful of other agents are the only ones with access to it,” Coulson added. “And I don’t even have high enough clearance to get in to all of it.”

“So what’s this got to do with me?” Clint asked, still confused.

“The information on this drive could be used to create a weapon against me,” Chronos. “Thing is, there’s going to come a time when a weapon like that does need to be created. And when the time comes to make the decision, I want to make sure there’s at least one person in there who’s on my side.”

Then she turned to face Clint. “Now Coulson, he’s a good man but he’s a company man. I need to know there’s someone who’ll fight for me if I can be saved or be willing to pull the trigger if I’m too far gone. I need to know someone has my back.”

Clint couldn’t help but smile warmly at her. “I’ve always got your back, kid. You can count on that.”

“Fury is going to explode and Maria is going to have my hide,” Coulson groaned. “But if I bury the paperwork deep enough they won’t see it until I’m dead and gone and it sticks. So you’ve got a deal.”

Chronos handed him the thumb drive, which he quickly pocketed. Coulson wisely pretended to check his phone while as Clint gave her one last hug. Then she took off, heading back to the city.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Coulson asked once she was out of sight.

“I am allowed to have my own friends, Phil,” Clint pointed out. “Believe it or not, I am an adult.”

“Could have fooled me,” Coulson replied dryly. “But that’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.”

Clint shrugged. “I like her, she’s a good kid. I can’t explain why, but I just like her,” he said. “She’s hurting, she hides it fairly well but it’s there if you know what to look for. If I can be a shoulder to lean on, help ease some of her pain, why shouldn’t I?”

“You know Fury will want you to try and recruit her,” Coulson reminded him.

“And Fury can kiss my ass,” Clint replied. “She’s a person, not a tool to be used and abused. I know she’s not happy with the X-Men, but I’m not sure SHIELD’s the right place for her either. If I change my mind, I will ask her. And if she says yes, I’ll bring her in. If she says no, I’ll let it drop. But I am not going to exploit my friendship with her just so Fury can get his rocks off.”

“Which is more or less what I told him when he brought it up to me,” Coulson said. “For what it’s worth, Clint, I agree with you. I understand why the director wants her, but I’ve always advised patience with dealing with her. She’ll work with me because I don’t flinch but also because I treat her like I do every other operative. And while I feel her powers would make her a valuable asset, I don’t think she’s ready to work for our operation just yet. Mainly because I think she’s angry, obnoxious, unruly, unpredictable, disrespectful, and a general all around pain in the ass. Of course, I used to think the same thing about you.”

“Why Phil, I think that’s the nicest thing you ever said to me,” Clint replied, touched.

“Now I just think you were put on this earth to punish me for something I did in a past life.”

Clint just grinned. “Back at ya, buddy.” He slapped Coulson on the back before they headed back inside.


	14. Chapter 14

Epilogue

Two weeks later

Clint sat on the rooftop, trying to work the crick out of his neck.

Things had gone back to normal fairly quickly after his adventure with the mutant mistress of time. He’d been on a couple of quick missions with the Avengers and now he was pulling a surveillance gig for SHIELD. He was also bored out of his skull. So it was a relief with the text message alert sounded on his phone.

*You busy?*

Clint grinned as he recognized the number. *Nope, just watching some dirtbag pick his toes. (surveillance mission :P)*

*I wanted to talk but you’re working. I don’t wanna bother you. I’ll call you later or something.*

*NO! You’d be doing me a favor, honest. I’m falling asleep over here.*

His phone rang a few moments later. “You sure you’re not busy?”

“For you, Timex, I’m never too busy,” Clint reassured her. “Besides, there’s only so many times I can watch pay-per-view porn through this guy’s window without feeling like a total perv.”

“That bad, huh?” Chronos laughed.

“Oh you have no idea,” Clint replied.

“Then tell me about it.”

“You sure?” Clint asked.

“Yeah. I just . . . need to take my mind off of things for awhile,” Chronos answered. “So you’d be doing me a favor. You don’t have to get serious or anything. Just tell me what you’ve been up to since I left.”

“Okay.” Clint leaned back, put his feet up on the ledge, and started to talk.


End file.
